Is Salehe Bembury Working With Louis Vuitton?

Are Salehe Bembury and Louis Vuitton working together? A series of posts on Bembury’s Instagram Stories hints at a potential partnership between the designer — known for his collaborations with Crocs and New Balance as well as his work at YEEZY and Versace, among a wealth of other projects — and the storied French fashion house.

The posts show Bembury at a footwear factory checking out both Vibram badges and what appear to be rands, and display some of the factory’s manufacturing processes as well. A deeper dive shows that the factory, Four System Group, produces footwear for Louis Vuitton and aided in developing the Versace Trigreca, one of Bembury’s signature silhouettes from his time at Versace. It’s not just the visit that was notable, it was the company. At the factory with Bembury was Mathias Patillon — the head of design for Louis Vuitton men’s footwear who’s worked on everything from the brand’s recent Timberland collaboration to the bear paw-like LV Footprint and the 408 Trainer, a style created in tandem with the late Virgil Abloh.

Bembury has been known to drop hints and Easter eggs on his Instagram stories, teasing projects and partnerships, so this may well be a soft launch of his work with Louis Vuitton. However, no official statement has been made by either the designer or the brand, so stay tuned for any developments as they’re made available.